Season 12, Episode 26: Disappearing Act

"Disappearing Act"
Episode 26
Air Episode: August 21st, 2004

I don't know what it is about this episode but I found it extremely entertaining for what it was.  It was a filler sure, but it was a very fun one at that truly explored for the first time what it's like be a teenaged superhero and a teenager while trying to actively balance both at the same time.  Sure, we had the first 5 seasons or so depicting each incarnation of rangers dealing with high school.adolescent issues while fighting those daily monsters of the week with their various team's powers but never has an episode genuinely made me feel so sympathetic for a ranger as Ethan prepares for his first date ever with Cassidy while trying to deal with their latest monster of the week in the form of Thornox, a steroid injected mutant plant Elsa has grown to defeat the rangers once and for all.  At the beginning of the episode, Elsa goes to some quarry where a strange slime pool is bubbling (Ehhh much!) and collects a sample of it before taking off...while Hayley and Tommy watch her from the Dino Lab.  Toomy soon arrives there and is quickly intercepted by a squad of Tryannodrones which he uses his weapons to defeat soon after.  Soon Tommy collects his own sample of the green goo and brings it back to the lab where Hayley soon discovers she can use to bring Tommy back to normal! Great! Especially since he's been morphed for weeks, maybe even months now and should not be alive as he can't even eat or take a dump in that thing (Sorry for the graphic visual there! 0_0)  Anyway, after telling the rest of the team, Hayley conducts her experiment and uses the goo to begin to demorph Tommy...but as Tommy demorphs, he suddenly becomes invisible.  Jesus!!! Well at least you can eat and go the bathroom now???

Anyway,. the other rangers spend most of the episode helping Ethan prepare for his picnic date with Cassidy and while the montage of them helping him is beyond silly and very teen comedy, it really does sell the plot of them episode as it's a very realistic situation to be in for a teenager as those first dates are so nerve wracking and daunting when it comes to to experiencing them.  I also really like how the scene of Ethan and Cassidy's date went, once again, feeling very natural and sweet as they both (well mostly Ethan) make those typical first date mistakes like being overly clumsy and talking wayyyy too much about themselves while trying to get to know the other person.  It made the episode at that moment feels more grounded by making both Ethan and surprisingly, Cassidy for the first time, feel like genuine people trying to get close but finding they don't have much in common.  Also, points for using invisible Tommy to help Ethan salvage what was left of his date.  From there, the episode goes back to the monster of the week plot as Ethan tells Cassidy to run off while he and invisi-Tommy take on some tryannodrones. Meanwhile, Connor, Kira and Trent deal with the Evil White Ranger and Thornox.  Ethan even manages to make it in time to defeat him with his hovercraft cycle....cause again....TOYS FOR THE KIDS!!! o_O After summoning their super dino mode and fighting back both the White Ranger and Thornox, the three simply destroy him with their Z-Rex blaster...but of course, he is made to grow by the Hydro Re-generator.  As Trent finishes off a group of tryannodrones, the rangers use both the Thundersaurus Megazord and Mezodon Megazord against Thornox and the DinoStegazord when they decide to unfairly tag team the Thundersaurus Megazord.  After destroying Thornox for good, The evil White Ranger takes off in his megazord until the next time they face.

It's also the little moments of plot progression that really highlights the continued moral dilemma at hand as when Anton begins transforming into Mesagog in class, Trent goes to check on him to try to get his father to get help but Anton being adamant that Trent say away for his own protection.  Jesus, this is hard to watch these two being ripped apart by their unforeseen destinies like this. Sigh. :(  But it's also a wonderful quota at the end of the episode as both Ethan and Cassidy are mature enough to realize that their coupling wouldn't work and being friends would be more appropriate considering one is a dedicated reporter and Ethan is secretly a superhero with his duty to the city of Reefside against Mesagog.  Hmmmm...how Lois and Clark of them??? :P  Overall, any episode that can make me actually LIKE Cassidy and not be even the slightest annoyed by her is a pretty BIG win in my eyes. :)

Final Morph: A- (Yup, no kidding! :)